ASUS Maximus III Extreme - P55 for $349
by Rajinder Gill on April 26, 2010 1:32 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
We have to say, we’ve found the Maximus III Extreme a pleasure to use. It’s got stability in abundance, keeps up with the likes of EVGA when overclocked and then goes further in the ease of use department by offering a comprehensive and well-polished BIOS (0705 release). Of course, there’s still room for improvement in areas like overclock recovery and such, but as it stands right now, this is probably the most polished P55 board we’ve had through the labs when we look at its all- round capabilities.
That all being said, the M3E will set you back $349 (that's only $30 shy of the X58 based ASUS Rampage III Extreme), and no matter how hard we try, there’s really only one context we can see that might “justify” the purchase of a board like this – sub-zero benchmarking. Even then, the margin of overhead versus boards costing a lot less is very small. The only separating factor from direct competitors like EVGA is that it’s easier to max out our processors on the M3E – the EVGA boards can require a little more effort, although the end results are nigh-on identical.
A potential lifeline could be provided to boards like these by Intel this summer when they release a new stepping and also add a few models to the Clarkdale/Lynnfield lineup. We’ll need to see some pretty impressive frequency scaling capabilities on the revised/enhanced silicon for that to happen though. Regardless of how things work out, we’d advise you to take a very firm look at the X58 refresh motherboards before considering P55 at this price point.
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duploxxx - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
nice looking, nice features expensive board and really expensive knowing that the platform is dead early next year.what a waste
miburns100 - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
Nice board, but way too expensive.jriofrio - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
Too expencive compare with alternatives...Micki57 - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
Super Nice of you to give this system to some lucky reader!Affectionate-Bed-980 - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
You're promising a new X58 roundup - Yes quite honestly your first X58 roundup was a joke. It was really like a 4 mobo roundup of the motherboards that were available at launch. Tom's Hardware had like 4 roundups or something to cover the budget end and the enthusiast end.You also promised an in depth i7 overclocking guide. Really, there was nothing. The most you ever mentioned about overclocking was in those investigations into high vDIMM or whatever. And it's obvious most of those articles were really more like lab testing notes geared for those with systems ready to OC.... not the general reader.
Also there was never a DDR3 roundup as you promised.
So yes, let's hope you deliver on this one. I know there's been a gradual shift in the change where Anand likes smartphones and stuff, and don't we all, but there have been cell phone geeks from the beginning, and that's why there are places like Mobile Review, Howard Forums, GSM Arena, Phone Arena, etc. Let's stick to our core and get the cpu+motherboard+video card reviews down yeah?
Rajinder Gill - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
Hi,It'll be pleasing for you to know that this X58 'round-up' is only going to be the refresh boards only. It's four boards.
later
Raja
gasgas - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
If you’re in such a dire need of an i7 over clocking guide, you really should not be near a PC. It’s the easiest platform to overclock ever.Anandtech’s coverage of H55/H57 was unsurpassed in honesty. The very fact you mention Tom’s here shows the line is very fuzzy for you.
Granted, things were promised in the past that did not get posted, but it looks like everything that’s been promised over the past 6 months has arrived. Maybe you should stick to cruising Tom’s instead of trolling here.
Taft12 - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
You're awfully quick to rush to AT's defense and ignore every issue the original poster said. How does "H55/H57 was unsurpassed in honesty" refute any of his points?? Almost every AT article refers to an upcoming roundup that never appears. The quality of Toms articles are not as high as AT, but give them credit for much wider coverage of available parts than AT provides.Rajinder Gill - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
Hi,Fully respect what you guys are saying. We've been trying hard to stick with the articles we've promised this year and so far everything we've said was coming has been delivered. I shall re-iterate, don't expect anything huge on the X58 - there are four new boards we'll be comparing (they're high-end).
later
Raja
thorgal73 - Monday, April 26, 2010 - link
In support of Raja, I don't think any of you realise how much time goes into the review of one motherboard (they're generally the worst in my experience, followed by ram reviews), let alone four or more.As a reviewer, it's sometimes hard not to fall for the abundance of products different manufacturers offer you, which in the end gets you frustrated because of lack of time and lack of progress, further leading to long waiting times for the readers or even outdated products before you even get to publish the product review. In my opinion it is a virtue to stick to the stuff you can manage within a reasonable deadline.